A Virtual Conference on Accessible Media, Web, and Technology

November 18-22, 2019

Hosted on-site by JMU's Office of Disability Services, the virtual Accessing Higher Ground Conference focuses on the implementation and benefits of:

  • Accessible media, Universal Design and Assistive Technology in the university, business and public setting;
  • Legal and policy issues, including ADA and 508 compliance;
  • The creation of accessible media and information resources, including Web pages and library resources;
  • Teaching about Accessibility and Universal Design in college classes.

Logistics:

The conference is occurring in Colorado and will be streamed in real time, so some presentations will run after regular work hours at JMU.  If you are interested in any of the sessions that begin after 6pm, please let us know.  All other presentations will be streamed, and recordings of most sessions will be available after the conference.

Registration is not required. Questions? Contact Christina Wulf at wulfcx@jmu.edu or call ODS at 540-568-6705.  We look forward to seeing you!

 

Schedule:

There are pre-conference sessions on November 18th-19th.  The main virtual conference on the 20th-21st includes two concurrent tracks on each day (Track A & Track B).  On Friday the 22nd, there are three tracks: Track A, B, and a mini-conference geared toward faculty on "Teaching Accessibility and Universal Design."

We will stream each track in a separate room.  Because of space limitations, the tracks may stream in different rooms on each day.  Please check the schedule below carefully for date, time, and location.

Most slides and other workshop materials are posted at the end of the presentation descriptions.  Click the presentation link and scroll down.

 

All times in the schedule below are Eastern Standard Time.

Pre-Conference:

MONDAY, November 18th

Student Success Center, Office of Disability Services Conference Room (inside ODS, Suite 1202)

4:30pm-7:30pm Creating Accessible Digital Documents in MS Office , Kristi Elmore, Systems Analyst, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, et al.

 

TUESDAY, November 19th

Student Success Center, ODS Conference Room (inside ODS, Suite 1202)

3:30pm-6:30pm YOU CAN Create Accessible Math for Students With Print Disabilities, Susan Kelmer, Alternate Format Access Coordinator, University of Colorado Boulder

 

MAIN CONFERENCE

WEDNESDAY, November 20th

Wed. 11/20 - Track A: Student Success Center, Rm 4042

10am-11am Accessibility and Universal Design for Online Courses – making the practice practicable, and a bit less scary, Carey Hamburg, Senior Instructional Designer, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

11:15am-12:15pm Overview of the Microsoft Immersive Reading Tools in Office 365, Karen McCall, Senior Advisor, Accessible Document Design, Open Access Technologies

1:15pm-2:15pm Creating Accessible Comics and Graphic Novels, Eric Stallard, Laboratory Specialist, Pima Community College

4:15pm-5:15pm Authoring Documents with Accessibility in Mind, Paul Rayius, Director of Training, CommonLook

5:30pm-6:30pm The Publisher Sent Me An ePub! Now What?, Susan Kelmer, Alternate Format Access Coordinator, University of Colorado Boulder

 

Wed. 11/20 - Track B: Student Success Center, Rm 4041

10am-12:15pm (double session) Introduction to Accessible PDF Documents, Rob Haverty, Senior Program Manager, Accessibility, Adobe

1:15pm-2:15pm Navigating the Venn Diagram of Video Accessibility Laws, Elisa Edelberg, Content Marketing Manager, 3PlayMedia

4:15pm-5:15pm This Isn’t Why I Became An Instructor!, Dana Haff, Instructional Design Accessibility Specialist, University of Alaska Anchorage, et al

5:30pm-6:30pm Toward Universal Design in Online Learning: The Interface Between Technology and Pedagogy, Mahadeo Sukhai, Head of Research and Chief Accessibility Officer, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, et al.

 

THURSDAY, November 21st

Thurs. 11/21 - Track A: Student Success Center, Rm 1203 (inside the ODS Suite 1202)

10am-11am Commonly Seen Accessibility Errors, Becky Gibson, Sr. Accessibility Strategist, Knowbility

11:15am-12:15pm Using the Microsoft Accessibility Checkers to Optimize Document Accessibility, Karen McCall, Senior Advisor, Accessible Document Design, Open Access Technologies

4pm-5pm The Great PDF Purge, Crystal Tenan, IT Accessibility Coordinator, NC State University

5:15pm-6:05pm The Blueprint for Student Success: Accessibility Support for Faculty and the Workflow to Make It Happen, Shawn Jordison, DSPS High Tech Center Faculty, Santa Monica College, et al.

6:20pm-7:20pm The Velvet Hammer: Accessible Procurement Buy-In and Pushback at Cal State San Bernardino, Leon McNaught, Accessibility Coordinator, CSU San Bernardino

9pm-10:30pm Keynote Talk: Dr. Wanda L. Diaz: “Human Centered Astronomy”

 

Thurs. 11/21 - Track B: Student Success Center, ODS Conference Room (inside ODS, Suite 1202)

10am-11am Getting Past ‘Yes’, to Genuine Action: Using the Dark Arts for Purposes of Good, Greg Hanek, digital Accessibility Architect, Indiana University

11:15am-12:15pm EPUB Reading Systems for Students with Learning Disabilities, Joseph Polizzotto, Alternate Media Supervisor, UC Berkeley, et al

4pm-6:05pm (double session) Able Player 4.0: A free, open source accessible media player, Terrill Thompson, Manager, IT Accessibility Team, University of Washington

6:20pm-7:20pm Intro to Audio Description, Elisa Edelberg, Content Marketing Manager, 3PlayMedia

9pm-10:30pm Keynote Talk: Dr. Wanda L. Diaz: “Human Centered Astronomy”

 

FRIDAY, November 22nd

Fri. 11/22 - Track A: Student Success Center, Rm 4042

11:15am-12:15pm Building an Accessible Online Course: Best Practices & Principles, George Joeckel, Web Accessibility Specialist, Utah State University / WebAIM

12:30pm-1:30pm Bookshare, AccessText and Alternate Media Centers: Sources to Obtain Alternative Formats, Dawn Evans, AccessText Network Coordinator, Center for Inclusive Design & Innovation, et al

2:45pm-3:45pm How To Empower Professors To Support Students With Disabilities, Auston Stamm, Accessibility & Assistive Technology Coordinator, Saint Mary’s College

4pm-5pm Writing Effective Alternative Text for Educational Content: Best Practices for Reducing Cognitive Load, Valerie Morrison, E-Text Manager, Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation

 

Fri. 11/22 - Track B: Student Success Center, Rm 4047

11:15am-12:15pm EPUB Face Off – Publishers Getting it Right or Wrong, George Kerscher, Chief Innovations Officer, DAISY Consortium, et al

12:30pm-1:30pm Hey, Siri — Are We There Yet? The State of ASR & Synthesized Speech for Captioning & Description, Elisa Edelberg, Content Marketing Manager, 3PlayMedia

2:45pm-3:45pm Different Role, Same Goal: Creating a Culture That Embraces Accessibility, Jennifer Pedersen, ETT Lead, University of Alaska Anchorage, et al

4pm-5pm Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment in 3 Steps, Liezl Madrona, Instructional Designer Accessibility Specialist, Butte College

 

Mini-Conference: Teaching Accessibility and Universal Design

Fri. 11/22 - Mini-Conference: Student Success Center, ODS Conference Room (inside ODS, Suite 1202)

11:15am-12:15pm Importance of end-user testing in accessible media capstone research, Jennifer Curry Jahnke, Professor / Coordinator, Mohawk College

12:30pm-1:30pm Accessibility: Teaching Skills for the Future, Tracy Christofero, Professor, Marshall University, et al.

2:45pm-3:45pm Teaching Accessibility: Case studies of courses that include accessibility topics in their curricula, Terrill Thompson, Technology Accessibility Specialist, University of Washington, et al.

4pm-5pm Student Benefits and Teaching Resources for Including Accessibility/Inclusive Design Topics in University Courses, Howard Kramer, PI, University of Colorado Boulder

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